Keeper for hexagonal fastener wrenches

ABSTRACT

A keeper accessory for use on a wrench head to hold a hexagonal fastener frictionally and firmly captive therein. The one piece accessory is particularly suitable for installation in any twelve point head without need for alterations or tools and fits a range of wrench head sizes by its inherent ability to expand against the interior surfaces without interfering with the subsequent insertion of the fastener to be wrenched.

United States Patent Carr [45] May 30, 1972 541 KEEPER FOR HEXAGONAL FASTENER 909,514 1/1909 Atkins ..81/125 WRENCHES. 2,368,902 2/1945 Thompson ..81/125 [72] Inventor: Harry A. Carr, 2934 El Caminito, La Crescenta, Calif. 91214 [22] Filed: Jan. 21, 1971 [21] App]. No.: 107,989

[52] U.S.C1 ..81/125 [51] Int. Cl ..B25b 13/58 [58] FieldofSearch ..81/125, 125.1, 180

[56] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 774,214 11/1904 Turner ..81/125 Primary Examiner-Robert C. Riordon Assistant Examiner-Roscoe V. Parker, Jr. AttorneySellers & Brace 571 ABSTRACT A keeper accessory for use on a wrench head to hold a hexagonal fastener frictionally and firmly captive therein. The one piece accessory is particularly suitable for installation in any twelve point head without need for alterations or tools and fits a range of wrench head sizes by its inherent ability to expand against the interior surfaces without interfering with the subsequent insertion of the fastener to be wrenched.

12 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures Patented May 30,1972 3,665,791

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INVENTOR HAEKV A. 04,66

KEEPER FOR HEXAGONAL FASTENER WRENCI-[ES This invention relates to accessories for wrenches, and more particularly to an improved keeper accessory readily insertable into a wrench head without need for alterations and inherently expandable into frictional engagement with the wrench head surfaces and with fastener surfaces to retain the latter releasably captive.

It is a common experience for mechanics to have need for some means to hold a fastener captive in a wrench head while maneuvering the fastener into mating alignment with another part or while removing the same under conditions preventing the mechanic from manually retrieving the fastener. Not infrequently it is mandatory that the fastener be held captive without risk of becoming detached from the wrench because of the serious risk of serious damage to other parts or the escape of the fastener into inaccessible areas.

Designers confronted with these problems have made man different proposals in attempts to solve these and the like problems in a simple and positive manner.

By the present invention there is provided a simple, one piece, resilient accessory readily insertable into a wide variety of conventional wrenches without need for tools or alterations and effective to grip a hexagonal fastener in a highly reliable manner. Typically, the accessory comprises a generally C- shaped main body having its ends lying normal thereto and parallel to one another. These legs are formed with low-height radial humps extending in opposite directions and so dimensioned that at least one thereof bears against the face of a hexagonal fastener thereby increasing the bearing pressure of other portions of the legs against the interior surfaces of the wrench head. The inturned ends of the legs engage the inner end of the fastener and prevent the latter from being inserted beyond the point of pressure engagement of one of the humps with the face of the fastener. The main body of the accessory preferably bears against an endface of the wrench with a portion thereof protruding beyond the edge of the wrench radially opposite a point of the wrench socket and useful to the user when orienting and aligning the wrench with the crest of a fastener.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a new and improved keeper accessory readily installed in a conventional wrench socket to retain a fastener captive therein. 7

Another object of the invention is the provision of a selfgripping one piece fastener keeper accessory insertable into a standard 12 point wrench head without need for tools or alteration of the wrench and without changing the f t of the wrench relative to the fastener size for which it wa designed.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a onepiece fastener keeper accessory insertable into a socket wrench and having portions contoured to grip the interior of the wrench socket with increasing pressure as the wrench is inserted over a fastener.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a fastener keeper accessory readily installed and removed from a wrench socket and having a portion projecting radially from the edge of the wrench in radial alignment with a point ofthe wrench to facilitate insertion of the wrench over a fastener.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a fastener keeper accessory installable in any of several different sizes of wrench sockets and capable of resiliently gripping interior surfaces of the wrench socket with a greater force than a fastener and effective to resiliently hold the fastener captive until the wrench is deliberately removed therefrom.

These and other more specific objects will appear 'upon reading the following specification and claims and upon considering in connection therewith the attached drawing to which they relate.

Referring now to the drawing in which a preferred embodiment of the invention is illustrated:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of a typical socket wrench showing the invention keeper accessory installed therein and retaining the head of a hexagonal cap screw captive in the wrench;

FIG. 2 is a cross sectional view on an enlarged scale taken along line 2-2 on FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a partial sectional view taken along line 3-3 on FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a view similar to FIG. 3 but showing the fastener detached from the wrench head;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the accessory in place in a wrench socket, the latter being shown in phantom in order to better show the relationship of the components; and

FIG. 6 is a side elevational view of the keeper per se in a relaxed expanded condition prior to installation on a wrench.

Referring initially more particularly to FIG. 1, there is shown a conventional socket .wrench having an operating bandle 10 formed at one end with the usual non-circular hole for seating the square or hexagonal end 11 of various wrench heads, such as a socket head 12 having a twelve pointed well 13 providing two sets of hexagonally related points either of which can be utilized to seat a hexagonal bolt head or a hexagonal nut, such a cap screw 14 being shown in the present drawing. I

The invention keeper accessory, designated generally 15, is best shown in FIGS. 5 and 6. This keeper is formed in one piece from suitable high resiliency stock, such as spring wire, and has a generally C-shaped main body 16 (FIG. 2) and a pair of legs 17,17 extending generally normal to the plane of main body 16. Preferably but not necessarily, legs 17,17 are disposed diametrically opposite one another and are bent to present a plurality of oppositely extending humps 18,19,20 lying in a radial plane when installed in a wrench head. The free ends of the legs are also preferably bent toward one another as is indicated at 21, and extend into the path of the inner end of a hexagonal fastener, as is best shown in FIG. 3. Ends 21 not only serve to limit the distance the fastener can be inserted into the wrench but, in particular, assure that the fastener-is not inserted until a face of its hexagonal surface passes inwardly out of contact with hump 19. Thus, even the relatively low height hexagonal head, such as that used on the cap screw 14, will have a pair of its faces in firm frictional engagement with humps 19.

It will be understood that the pair of outwardly projecting humps 18,20 are always in firm frictional contact with the bottom of one of the points 13 of the wrench head. This double contact of each leg with the sidewall of the wrench head provides an excess of holding capability between the accessory and the wrench head over thatbetween the single hump 19 with a face of the fastener. As will be readily recognized, this differential gripping capability can be varied widely by varying the number and the length of the points of contact with each surface. I

As is best shown in FIGS. 2 and 5, the generally C-shaped main body 16 of the keeper is proportioned to rest against the rim edge of the wrench head when in its fully installed position. Additionally one portion of main body 16 is preferably formed with a pointed extension 22 (FIGS. 2,5) which projects radially beyond the outer side wall of the wrench head at a point radially opposite a seating point 13. This provides a visual indicator readily viewable by the operator from a remote point enabling him to align the points of the wrench head with a hexagonal fastener over which he is endeavoring to seat the wrench. Except for this indicator, the operator would be unable to determine the proper orientation of the wrench except through trial and error.

As will be readily recognized from the foregoing description, the invention accessory is readily insertable into wrench sockets of a range of different sizes because of the high resiliency and the shape of main body 16. For this reason it is unnecessary to design each accessory, for use only with a particular size wrench head.

In use the operator grasps the keeper near legs 17,17 and squeezes these toward one another sufficiently to permit insertion of the keeper between a pair of diametrically opposed points of a Wrench head. Once the inner ends of the legs enter a pair of these points it is merely necessary to apply pressure to the main body until it seats against the rim edge of the head. At this time humps l8 and of each leg will be bearing under substantial pressure against the sides of the wrench sockets leaving a complete set of hexagonally related points unobstructed and free for assembly in the usual manner over the hexagonal periphery of a fastener. As the fastener enters the wrench head the customary bevelled edge at its rim edge engages the advance side of humps 19,19, following which axial pressure applied to the outer end of the fastener cams hump 19,19 away from one another thereby increasing the pressure of contact of humps 18,20 with the wrench head. This action, in turn, strengthens and reflects a portion of the stored energy back into hump 19 to increase its firm holding contact with the juxtaposed surfaces of the fastener.

Accordingly, the weight of a relatively heavy fastener, such as a bolt or cap screw, does not overtax the holding capabilities of the accessory and the fastener remains firmly captive in the wrench head despite jolts and contact with other components as it is being maneuvered into or out of position in cramped quarters. Upon withdrawal of the fastener from the wrench head, the keeper remains firmly in place owing to the greater frictional contact of its humps 18,20 with the wrench head.

While the particular keeper for hexagonal fastener wrenches herein shown and disclosed in detail is fully capable of attaining the objects and providing the advantages hereinbefore stated, it is to be understood that it is merely illustrative of the presently preferred embodiments of the invention and that no limitations are intended to the detail of construction or design herein shown other than as defined in the appended claims.

lclaim:

l. A fastener keeper accessory adapted to be held frictionally assembled on a conventional 12 point wrench head without interfering with the use of hexagonally related set of points to seat the hexagonal portion of a threaded fastener and effective to frictionally hold a loose fastener captive on the wrench head while the same is being maneuvered into and out of an assembly position, said accessory comprising a unitary length of .stiff resilient spring stock having a generally C- shaped portion terminating at either end in a pair of legs lying generally normal to said C-shaped portion, said legs being disposed diametrically opposite one another and positioned to extend into said wrench head and resiliently grip a pair of diametrically opposed wrench head points other than said hexagonally related set of points and effective to hold said accessory frictionally assembled in a wrench head and including means effective to resiliently grip a lateral face of a hexagonal fastener and hold the fastener releasably to said head.

2. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 1 characterized in that a portion of said C-shaped portion of said keeper projects radially beyond the edge of a wrench head in which the same is inserted and serves as a visual indicator by which the user can determine when the points of the wrench head are properly oriented for telescopic assembly over a hexagonal fastener.

3. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 2 characterized in that said visual indicator is located radially opposite one of said set of hexagonally related points.

4. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the free ends of said legs are bent toward one another and are effective to engage the inner end of a fastener seated in the wrench head and useful in withdrawing the fastener therefrom when said Cshaped portion is lifted outwardly from its assembled position within the wrench head.

5. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 4 characterized in that said legs have inwardly projecting humps spaced sufficiently close to the inturned ends of said legs that said humps will be in contact with a juxtaposed face of a hexagonal fastener as the fastener end contacts the inturned ends of said legs.

6. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the forced insertion of a hexaglonal fastener into a wrench head having said accessory msta ed therein tends to press parts of said legs into higher pressure contact with the associated one of said wrench head points and thereby increase the gripping action of said legs with a face of the fastener.

7. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 1 characterized in that at least one of said legs has oppositely facing humps lying in a generally radial plane, a pair of said humps being disposed to frictionally engage the interior surface of the wrench head and another hump being disposed to frictionally engage a face of a hexagonal fastener as it isinserted into the wrench head to hold the same releasably captive therein.

8. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 7 characterized in that the forced insertion of a hexagonal fastener into a wrench head having said accessory installed therein tends to press said other one of said humps into firmer gripping relation with the juxtaposed faces of a hexagonal fastener while simultaneously increasing the pressure of portions of said leg to either side of said inwardly extending humps into firmer gripping relation to interior surface of said wrench head.

9. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the gripping action of the surfaces in contact with interior surfaces of said wrench head is substantially greater than the gripping action of the surfaces in contact with a fastener present in the wrench head.

10. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said C-shaped portion has a relaxed diameter substantially greater than the diameter of a 12 point wrench head into which it is to be inserted whereby said accessory tends to ex pand and grip the walls of a wrench head when inserted thereinto.

1 1. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 10 characterized in that the same has sufficient resiliency and flexibility for use and installation in a range of wrench head sizes.

12. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 7 characterized in that both of said pair of legs are formed with a plurality of said oppositely facing humps. 

1. A fastener keeper accessory adapted to be held frictionally assembled on a conventional 12 point wrench head without interfering with the use of hexagonally related set of points to seat the hexagonal portion of a threaded fastener and effective to frictionally hold a loose fastener captive on the wrench head while the same is being maneuvered into and out of an assembly position, said accessory comprising a unitary length of stiff resilient spring stock having a generally C-shaped portion terminating at either end in a pair of legs lying generally normal to said C-shaped portion, said legs being disposed diametrically opposite one another and positioned to extend into said wrench head and resiliently grip a pair of diametrically opposed wrench head points other than said hexagonally related set of points and effective to hold said accessory frictionally assembled in a wrench head and including means effective to resiliently grip a lateral face of a hexagonal fastener and hold the fastener releasably to said head.
 2. A keeper acCessory as defined in claim 1 characterized in that a portion of said C-shaped portion of said keeper projects radially beyond the edge of a wrench head in which the same is inserted and serves as a visual indicator by which the user can determine when the points of the wrench head are properly oriented for telescopic assembly over a hexagonal fastener.
 3. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 2 characterized in that said visual indicator is located radially opposite one of said set of hexagonally related points.
 4. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the free ends of said legs are bent toward one another and are effective to engage the inner end of a fastener seated in the wrench head and useful in withdrawing the fastener therefrom when said C-shaped portion is lifted outwardly from its assembled position within the wrench head.
 5. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 4 characterized in that said legs have inwardly projecting humps spaced sufficiently close to the inturned ends of said legs that said humps will be in contact with a juxtaposed face of a hexagonal fastener as the fastener end contacts the inturned ends of said legs.
 6. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the forced insertion of a hexagonal fastener into a wrench head having said accessory installed therein tends to press parts of said legs into higher pressure contact with the associated one of said wrench head points and thereby increase the gripping action of said legs with a face of the fastener.
 7. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 1 characterized in that at least one of said legs has oppositely facing humps lying in a generally radial plane, a pair of said humps being disposed to frictionally engage the interior surface of the wrench head and another hump being disposed to frictionally engage a face of a hexagonal fastener as it is inserted into the wrench head to hold the same releasably captive therein.
 8. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 7 characterized in that the forced insertion of a hexagonal fastener into a wrench head having said accessory installed therein tends to press said other one of said humps into firmer gripping relation with the juxtaposed faces of a hexagonal fastener while simultaneously increasing the pressure of portions of said leg to either side of said inwardly extending humps into firmer gripping relation to interior surface of said wrench head.
 9. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 1 characterized in that the gripping action of the surfaces in contact with interior surfaces of said wrench head is substantially greater than the gripping action of the surfaces in contact with a fastener present in the wrench head.
 10. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 1 characterized in that said C-shaped portion has a relaxed diameter substantially greater than the diameter of a 12 point wrench head into which it is to be inserted whereby said accessory tends to expand and grip the walls of a wrench head when inserted thereinto.
 11. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 10 characterized in that the same has sufficient resiliency and flexibility for use and installation in a range of wrench head sizes.
 12. A keeper accessory as defined in claim 7 characterized in that both of said pair of legs are formed with a plurality of said oppositely facing humps. 